The facility shuddered as the purge sequence initiated.
Red emergency lights flared to life. Warning sirens shrieked, their piercing wails vibrating through the walls.
"Security lockdown engaged. Purge protocol commencing in T-minus 10 minutes."
Ethan spun toward the others. "We need to move. Now."
Valerie ripped the data drive from the console. "There's a main exit two levels down. If we can reach it before the purge completes—"
A thunderous crash cut her off.
The door behind them buckled.
Then—it exploded inward.
Hunted
A figure emerged from the smoke.
Tall. Too tall.
Its body was half-human, half-corrupted, veins pulsing with the same eerie blue glow as the creatures from the tanks.
Its face… was almost human.
Almost.
Its lips curled back, revealing razor-sharp teeth.
Then—it spoke.
A garbled, distorted echo of a voice.
"You… should not… be here."
Noah stumbled back. "Oh hell no—"
The creature moved.
Too fast.
Blaze lunged, snarling, but the monster swatted him aside like a toy.
Shadow hissed, her claws slashing across its face—only for the wounds to stitch themselves back together instantly.
Olivia fired her pistol. Bang. Bang. Bang.
The bullets punched through—but the creature didn't stop.
Ethan grabbed Valerie's wrist. "Forget fighting. Run!"
They bolted toward the corridor.
Behind them, the creature howled.
Then—it followed.
The Descent
The stairwell loomed ahead. Ethan took the steps three at a time.
"Eight minutes remaining."
"Faster!" Valerie panted. "The exit should be—"
Another roar shook the walls.
Then—the ceiling above them collapsed.
A mass of twisted metal and debris crashed between them and the next floor.
Noah swore. "That's it. We're screwed."
Valerie's eyes darted around. "There's a maintenance shaft—there!"
A narrow, rusted ladder led down into the darkness.
No time to hesitate.
Ethan grabbed Blaze and went first, sliding down the rungs.
One by one, the others followed.
Olivia dropped last, just as the creature slammed into the ledge above them.
It peered down—smiling.
"Running… is useless."
Then—it vanished.
Ethan's stomach dropped.
Because if it wasn't chasing them anymore…
It was waiting.
The Final Stretch
They landed in a wide underground tunnel.
Old rail tracks stretched ahead, leading toward a massive steel door.
A terminal blinked beside it.
Valerie ran to the controls. "This is it! I can override the lock—just cover me!"
"Five minutes remaining."
Ethan turned—just in time to see movement in the shadows.
Then—they came.
Not just one. Dozens.
Corrupted figures emerging from the darkness, their bodies twitching, eyes glowing blue.
Noah raised his gun. "Here we go."
The first creature lunged.
Blaze met it mid-air, jaws snapping. Shadow darted between legs, claws slicing tendons.
Ethan spun, blade flashing. His knife buried deep into a monster's throat. He twisted—ripped it free.
Another grabbed Olivia, but she jammed her pistol under its chin—
Bang.
It collapsed.
Noah was punching, kicking, slashing with his broken pipe. "Val, anytime now!"
Valerie's fingers flew across the keys. "Almost—"
"Two minutes remaining."
Then—the lock clicked.
Valerie slammed the switch.
With a deafening groan, the steel door rumbled open.
Ethan grabbed Olivia's arm. "GO!"
They sprinted through.
Behind them—the creatures shrieked in rage.
Then—the countdown hit zero.
And the world exploded.
The End of the Lab
A blinding wave of white light erupted from the tunnel.
The force lifted them off their feet, sending them tumbling into the open night air.
Heat scorched their backs.
The ground shook—as if the very earth was trying to swallow the facility whole.
Then—silence.
Smoke and dust billowed into the sky. The ruins of the lab collapsed inward, vanishing into the abyss.
It was gone.
Ethan pushed himself up, gasping. His head throbbed. His body ached.
But they were alive.
Blaze limped toward him, covered in dust but wagging his tail.
Shadow slinked out of the rubble, her golden eyes glowing in the moonlight.
Noah groaned. "Remind me to never follow you into a secret lab again."
Olivia coughed, brushing dirt off her face. "Seconded."
Valerie was still gripping the data drive.
Ethan met her gaze. "Did we do it?"
She swallowed.
"The lab's gone. But…"
She turned the drive over in her hands.
"This isn't over."
Ethan exhaled.
No. It wasn't.
Because if those creatures were only the beginning…
Then something far worse was still out there.
Waiting.
Watching.
And now—it knew their names.